Take-up means for knitting machines



April 28, 1953 J. 5. MOSS 2,636,364

TAKE-UP MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 51, 1950 I l8 6 Z an ""Zii m 2 FIG.

. 74 24 g I l 76 E II 32 1:: 5 6 11 6 I INVENTOR.

JACOB S. M055 6 0 0 I 44 BY =2 60 38 5a 4 1 WY 54 6| ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 28, 1953 TAKE-UP MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES I Jacob S. Moss, Laconia, N. H., assignor to Scott & Williams, Inc., Laconia, N. H., a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 31, 1950, Serial No. 182,437

'1 Claims.

1 This invention relates to knitting machines and has particular reference to take-up means involved in th production of stockings containing inturned welts. Individual separate stockings may be knit starting with bare needles in accordance with the procedure and utilizing such instrumentalities as are disclosed in the patent to R. W. Scott, No. 1282.958, dated October 29, 1918. In accordance with this procedure, which need not be repeated herein in detail, a non-ravelling selvage is first produced and thereupon loops are transferred to transfer elements which hold the initial courses during the knitting of a hem or welt, there being produced in the formation of this welt a sufficient number of courses to secure the desired length thereof. At the completion of the welt the loops which were held by the transfer elements are returned to the needles and knitting is resumed tying the welt loops into loops at the beginning of the leg so that'a doubled or inturned welt is produced. The welt fold as it is being formed and thereafter has generally been carried away from the needles by gravity with initial assistance by a presser such as shown in said Scott patent. The foregoing method has been satisfactory but it has been recognized that more uniform and perfect stitches might be formed if tension was applied between the stitches being knitted and others previously knitted. Furthermore, more satisfactory results would be obtained if the tension could be applied through a-'sub stantial length of the fabric. In the application of Alexander Belford and Fred A. Kuss, Serial No. 111,484, filed August 20, 1949, now Patent No. 2,574,009, there are provided suitable means for applyin tension to the fabric through the use of take-up rolls which may be caused tostop or to advance at varying speeds as determined by control mechanism, thus to apply a uniform but variable tension to the fabric.

In accordance with the disclosure of said Belford and Kuss application the yarnis not taken entirely out of action between stockings but rather the regular yarn is changed in order that one or more courses of stitches may be knitted from a yarn having sufficient strength for knitting and providing a connection between successive stockings but frail enough to permit the variout finished stockings to be torn apart or separated. Accordingly it is possible to feed the continuous string of stockings at all times to a takeup-remote from the point of knitting;

During the time that the welt or hem is being knitted such a remote take-up is incapable of ex- 2 I A erting tension on the welt section of the fabric since the last course of fabric under the influence of the take-upwill have been removed from the needlesand held by the transfer elements. In accordance with said Belford and Kuss application there is provided a tube located inside of the needle cylinder and stationary with respect to a revolving cylinder (or rotating respect to a stationary cylinder), this tube having at the inside of its upper end one or more baffles having camming action on the welt to effect movement of the fabric as it is produced smoothly away from the needles and their cooperating sinkers in such a manner that neither distorted nor un-, sightly stitches will be produced.

In accordance with the present inventionprovision is made for more effectively lowering welts away from the needles during welt formation, this end being accomplished through the production of pulsating airflow engaging the welts desirably remote from the point of knitting so as to prevent any disturbance of the proper formation of stitches; Associated with the means for producing pulsating air as just described there is an interior tube arranged to provide a space into'which the welt undergoing formation is lowered so that its motion is not impeded'by theportion of a previousstocking which has been knit. As will become apparent hereafter, the invention is applicable not only to the knitting of stockings having inturned welts in a continuous series but also to the knitting of separate stockings in general accordance with the disclosure of said Scott patent.

The general objects of the invention-indicated above and other objects particularly relating 'to details of construction and operation will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which: A v

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through the upperpor'tions of acircular knitting machine to which the invention is applied;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the plane indicated at 22 in Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation showing in particular the fabric take-up rolls and their operating devices;

Figure 4 is afra'gmentary sectional view showing in particular a fin 'foraiding in taking up the welt; and 1 Figure 5' is a plan view of the matter illus- I The figures show only those elements of a rotary cylinder circular knitting machine as are required for an understanding of the invention. It will, of course, be understood that this machine contains conventional elements well known to the art and, in particular, reference may be made tosaidscott patent and to said B elford and Kuss .appiicationffor a moi-e rcompleteishowing and "description ofthose elements"particular 1y concerned with welt formation. As will be apparent hereafter various features of the invention are applicable to m'achines ofvthe -stationary cylinder-rotary cam type, but for clarity and consistency of the description? thereiwill be hereafter referred to only a =machine of -the rotary cylinder type.

The needle cylinder illustrated :atsZds-slotted to carry needles 4 with which cooperate conventional sinker 6. A rotary dial 8 carries transfer elements H3 or thetype described in said scott patent. l' Relative? movements of conven- *tionarrcharaeter care imparted-to :these various *instru-mentalities in "conventional: .fiashion. -:The

-d-ial- 8whichcarries the transfer elements W; is

:provided with a series "of :openings "M which 'i i p itigompi'ssedliairfi may ube :continuousiy iiowin'g or may fibe'icaused to fiowuduringlonly ficertain po'rtions of -the :knitting cycle, :as for example-muting t'he formation or the iwelt, by means whi'eh areionventional .andiare: not: herein shown. While 'thetair ist flowinglthe. rotation pf tlie dialm tolbringrtheleholes l 4 isuocess'vely ibefleath' the tube 1-6 results the production below the dial of-fintermittentfipuifs ofsair which "have a takenp function hereafter described. rhe tube 5 t6 .is' desirablyi located: approximately opposite -thezipoint at'which stitches are formed from iyai n fe'd b'y:- one oflfa seriesof yarn fingers wh ich care i subject :to rcontrol by the usual 'lur'igers 22' oontrollediby the'rnain ceJ-ndrufh of -the machine. By: reason'. of thislocation of -the tube i 61 the introduced airy-produces? no di turbancel'in' the nniforniityi of' formation-of the 'stitcl'i'esi functioning solely: for: take upi piirposes. liooated 'iwithin the needle :cylirrder is Fa: tube 1'24 Whifihlis hel'diatzits lower: e'nd by the upper rendef 22a. anon-rotating -7:'cylinder of conventional which the fabric may move. :An annu-lar space.

eris provided betweenthe :tubes 2 5:- and 3 I for i the reception ofthe welt as hereafterdescribed. As described in said Belfordand-Kussappllca- .tion, at the lowenportion -of the-machine: there is provided artalte-upvassomblylindicatede ally at 32 having up er and 10WB'1" bBai i g .s-hown) :indhmmachine frame. Theflassembly @includes ca fabric 'rece'ptacle l indicated at -38. Drive -0f this i-assem bly is :efiected oy sgeaii-ng from the vertical shaft 44 which is geared --to the needle cylinder. The arrangement is such that the take-up assembly rotates in unison with the needle cylinder. A guide forming part of the assembly 32 mounts a slide 52 which carries a at its lower end a crosshead 54 on which are pivoted pawls 58 and 69 urged into engagement with ratchet wheels 62 and 64 by a spring Bl. espring fifi urges the isii'de 352 upwardly. The 'iatchtwheels"62 and B4 are carried by the 10 shafts of rollers 66 and S8. The rollers are urged together by a spring arrangement indicated at -72. iTheseirol-lers may be surfaced in various 'fashions to secure proper take-up of the pariticular 'fabric being knit; for example, one of 1-5 therollers 'may be covered with smooth fabric andf the'other w ith corduory, pile fabric or the =.l=il;e, or one .of'ithe. rollers may be cloth surfaced and the other "formed of corrugated wood, or fathom-arrangements may be used, such as a pair 29 of metallic rollers. A detent 10 prevents reverse wmovementof: *one of. theratchets! this: generally @sufiieing te tinsure -ma-intenance of tension though, if -fd'esired, detents may vbe associated with both ratchets. v

A'. cam (1-4 :.is carried by .-.-.a.--lever 16,.pivote'd to the: frame at '18 and adapted to be 1 acted upon by: suitable cams on theflmain. camdrumi'serving --to position: the leVerLSand-itscam "M: toisecure various. conditions of operation'of rthe take-up. 34) :The operation. of this type of-takeeup-t-is.described inadetaiiin saidqBelfordiand Kuss application anduieed not be-described herein.

Reference may now :be I made particularly to Figuresdv and 5. .In-thei inside of the .npp,e1'\,end tofmube 24: th-ere isflsecuredrafiniSB extending inwardly and=prorided with .-.an inner sm-oo th edge. This edge 1 of n the .fin .at 96 merges horizontally wan-d -smoothly with the r. upper end -;of 1 thetube. .Its. lower .endeat. 92 also mergesdnto 4n the-surface of the tube. .in smooth fashion this amergerpreventing .catching'ofLthe. fabric on the :fin duringxreciprocation. .-;-Apresser r94 which corresponds to-the presser -P of :said: Scott patent and which maybe similarly'controlled, haste 4: position such as indicated in. Figure :5 above; the level of thetop of. the tube. Asantinclicationuof theposition. of the fin 88 there: is .tin-dicated: at

1 96 :the approximate circumferential -locationr .of athe reenter of -the sinkeri camand at 58 :the? ap- SU ,proximate circumferential location ofrthe: lowest point of ;the---stitch .cam. althas .been found .that. the fin operates most :effectivelyif itiis set ataan angle of approximately 142 with respect -to.-:a horizontal plane and extends inwardly: from M to- -inch from-the inner .cylindrloalrwallr-of .the tube 24.

v'Thei operation rof .the 1 machine may the. consi-dered starting =from' the I beginning 1 of forma- =.tionof the welt. rTherpreviously knit .stocking 11 indicated atrS. in Figure 1. is. held .under: tension between the takeauprolls :and-.681andvthe transfer elements it which hold the initial 4 courses during the knitting of a welt. :As will be observed from Figure l the precedingzstock- :ing passes inwardly of the rolled or I rounded edge .of the .tube 53: I leavingva spacedn which the-welt mayidescend during: its formation, .The -inward movement of-lthe. fabric forming. the: welt W isbegun by the .aotionaofither presser. was

.thereare formed the coursesimmediatelyi'following: the "holding of. loops on "the. transfer :ele-

ments 30, the; presser serving to force. inwardly the loop of fabric which is then belngproduced. Inasmuch as the previouslyformed.stocking is mmeld inwardly by the .upper edge fof a the itube 3] this action is not impeded. As the knitting of the welt progresses the fin 88 serves by frictional engagement with the welt to aid in the inward and downward movement of the welt loop. As soon as a substantial length of this welt loop is produced the puffs of air projected through the holes [4 in the dial at the position of the tube I5 aid in forcing the loop downwardly. The blasts of air penetrate the fabric which is held between the elements It! and the top of the cylinder 3| as well as the section of the welt suspended below the elements I0, and this serves to effectively move downwardly the fabric hanging below the needles. The air currents seem to pass through the two layers just mentioned and exert a pulsating force on this fabric suspended from the needles and the pulsations by producing movement are particularly effective in insuring the proper downward movement of the welt into the annular space 35 which is of sufiicient width and depth to receive the welt loop without impeding its movement. After the welt is completed and the held loops are transferred to the needles, the take-up rolls pull the previously formed stocking and thereby pull the welt out of the space 35 around the rolled edge 33 of sleeve 3| and downwardly inside this sleeve.

It will be evident from the above that the existence of tension on the previously formed stocking does not prevent the free and proper movement of the welt W during its formation.

While the invention is particularly applicable to the formation of stockings in a continuous string, it will be evident that by the removal of screws 29, spacers 28 and sleeve 3|, it may also be applied to the knitting of stockings having welts even though the stockings are dropped off at the completion of their individual formations and new stockings are started on bare needles.

What is claimed is:

1. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needles slidable in said cylinder, means associated with said needles for holding stitches during the formation of a turned welt, and a nozzle discharging air at a location inside the circle of held stitches to impinge upon and urge away from the needles a turned welt.

2. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needles slidable in said cylinder, means associated with said needles for holding stitches during the formation of a turned welt, means directing air from a location inside the circle of held stitches to impinge upon and urge away from the needles a turned welt, and means between said directing means and the welt interrupting the flow of air to produce pulsations thereof.

3. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, cylinder, needles slidable in said cylinder, means associated with said needles for holding stitches during the formation of a turned welt, and means directing air from a location inside the circle of held stitches to impinge upon and urge away from the needles a turned welt, the air directing means being located remote from the position at which the needles draw stitches.

4. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needles slidable in said cylinder, means associated with said needles for holding stitches during the formation of a turned welt, and means directing pulsating air from a location inside the circle of held stitches to impinge upon and urge away from the needles a turned welt, the air directing means being located remote from the position at which the needles draw stitches.

5. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needles slidable in said cylinder, means associated with said needles for holding stitches during the formation of a turned welt, a cylinder located inside the needle cylinder, there being relative rotation between the needle cylinder and the last mentioned cylinder, and means directing air to impinge upon a turned welt and urge it downwardly within the last mentioned cylinder.

6. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needles slidable in said cylinder, means associated with said needles for holding stitches during the formation of a turned welt, a cylinder located inside the needle cylinder, there being relative rotation between the needle cylinder and the last mentioned cylinder, and means directing pulsating air to impinge upon a turned welt and urge it downwardly within the last mentioned cylinder.

7. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needles slidable in said cylinder, means associated with said needles for holding stitches during the formation of a turned welt, said means comprising a series of holding elements and a supporting dial, said supporting dial being provided with openings, and means directing air through said openings successively to provide pulses of air to impinge upon and urge away from the needles a turned welt.

JACOB S. MOSS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS F Number Name Date 1,259,473 Bechtel Mar. 19, 1918 1,272,865 Scott July 16, 1913 2,275,276 Williams Mar. 3, 1942 2,405,162 Nyhuis Aug. 6, 1946 

